Pomegranate Cards for Sale

A number of people have asked me which pomegranate cards are for sale, so I have photographed those I have left. They are numbered 1-24 from left to right. They are 5" x 7" , so a large postcard size not a standard postcard size.The price is $30 US inclusive of postage for each card ( there are 24 and #2,#8,#11 are sold) and you can pay me via Paypal- but please email me first so I can give you the details. Yes and one isn't a pomegranate- I had to make up the numbers!

Also I received yesterday a translation into French of my booklet Seventy Two Ways Not to Stipple or Meander- Ideas For Free Machine Quilting. Marie Goddard of ">Centre Europeen du Patchwork translated it for me( well the text part- the pictures speak for themselves). The cost is as follows ( as a few people have asked me as well)
The booklet is( all prices inclusive of postage)
$23 US Dollars, $25 Australian Dollars, 18 Euro or 12 Pounds Sterling for the UK
The Cd is ( all prices inclusive of postage)
$15 US Dollars, $20 Australian Dollars, 12 Euro , or *.50 Sterling

I have had quite a lot of feedback about the booklet and thankfully it's all been very positive with people saying it was exactly what they need to help generate ideas. In French it is called 72 Facons... Idees de Matelassage en Pique-libre ( sorry the accents aren't there I forget how to do that in word). I had to have more booklets printed but forgot to take the cd with me to Geelong for the print job last Tuesday - so it is going in today. Marie also has some of my work at her gallery and I shall be having an exhibtion there in 2010- that sounds like such a long way off- but it is a big space and needs quite a lot of work.

Also my friend Agnes De Lange-Macdaniel has put some new work up on her website for 2006. There are some delightful pieces there.


Also check out Sandy's blog- she has been to Egypt! It reminds me so of the wonderful time I had there earlier in the year. I still look at all the photos I took regularly and my daughter made a really lovely album of her experience.

Also next year I will be taking Australian work : "Sense of Place"( work by Jenny Bowker, Gloria Loughnan, Beth and Trevor Reid, Helen Gray, Beth Miller, Dianne Firth, Sue Dennis, Fiona Wright, Robina Summers, Olga Walters and myself ) to Patchwork-Art Textile at le Palaiseau 2007 from 24 March until 9 April at the Le Maison des Jeunes et de la Culture-I have linked the contact for anyone interested. I am delighted that the Australia/France Foundation, administered through the Australian Embassy in Paris has lent some support to this event ( they also helped with Australian Bounty in 2000)- it is wonderful to have support for art quilts at this level on cultural co-operation .I shall also be teaching some workshops during that time. So my love affair with France continues.

The Banksia

Banksia studies . Yesterday I got a bit of a fright as I thought I had to have another quilt done within the week. I want it to be "Australian" as well as pertinent to my place ( it's for an exhibition which is travelling to Syria and France next year with the title Sense of Place which I am curating). I have done the first piece- Forest, as we are surrounded by Forest- The Otways National Park. There are also banksias which are native to the region, and I also have many in my garden- they flower all through the winter and are evergreen. Apparently Josephine and Napoleon were so taken by the banksia that they had a special garden built.

I have in the past made banksia quilts, but decided I wanted to revisit the flowers, to see if I could see anything new. I started out with a coloured scan on the scanner and was surprised at how well the flower actually scanned ( the flowers are round and this one would have had a circumference of 15 cm or so). I then reduced it into greyscale ( I do this often to see areas of light and dark-values- positive and negative space) and then played around in photoshop filters a bit. I Then printed it and drew back into the picture and rescanned and then drew freehand the line drawing. The last drawing( at least that is what I am hoping will show up- blogger is not co-operating) was done with my left hand ( I am right handed).It was a little trick I leraned from reading about Raoul Dufy who did this from time to time. I actually find my left hand drawings more characterful then my right hand drawings, but they are a bit of a struggle- I never know quite how to hold my fountain pen. Anyway the pictures/drawings have given me some food for thought how I might go about tackling my next "banksia" quilt.

Pomegranate Contemplations

I really like soft covered books- not paperbacks as such but ones that have an almost leathery cover. I have made some over the years and have used Japanese momogami paper as the inner stabiliser/leathery outside cover- it is soft and pliable and strong, apparently the poor Japanese workmen used to make clothing from momogami as it was strong and even warm. I made another one on the weekend for the contemplation of pomegranates and the photo is of the cover ( it is A4 size) which is hand stitched and ended up taking way longer than planned( it was all that hand stitching- the threads are crocheting yarn which I buy in the Netherlands at the market- it's called glossy crocheting yarn and is actually mercerised cotton and dyes beautifully) . I bind Khadi papers as the inner pages - they are kind of rough and textured though do take watercolour paints. They do not like my fountain pen ( another pet kind of obsession- you can buy cheap fountain pens in the supermarches in France- and some of them write beautifully and they are so much nicer to write with than biros- on the up end of the fountain pen market I have two Lamy fountain pens, and I converted a lot of my fellow solicitor coleagues in days gone by to their use, but seem to have lost one- it will turn up, but my current favourite is one of the cheapest ones I bought a couple of years ago at Intermarche- french school children still write with fountain pens at school) The Kadi pages can be stitched and again the fibre is strong so a lot of stuff can be done to it.

Several people have asked me about the cost of the pomegranate cards- they are all 5"x7" which is larger than normal sized postcards ( think the next size up). Tomorrow I will post a picture of the ones I have left. They are priced at $30 US including postage.

Variations on a theme

Over the years there has been quite a lot of discussion about working in a series, and particularly if you want to consider yourself a "serious" artist then the advice from many quarters in the upper echelons of the "quilt" art world is to work in a series and work it into a long progression of works that all relate.That is fine if you want to work in that way, but there are other ways of working as well and one of them is thematically.

I tend to work to themes- they set my imagination more alight than endless variations in abstraction.And yes they are variations on a theme so they do have that in common with working in a series. I suppose I am a semi-romantic still wallowing on the edges of realism.I have over the years made fire quilts. I think they number 17 or 18 plus some smaller ones- I only have one and a half left ( the half being one part of a diptych). I hesitate to call them a series as the imagery is quite wideranging and identifiable , though some are a bit more abstract than others, but they do relate to each other both by theme and technique. I have images of them in all sorts of format- but not digital to see how they do relate to each other.

And in recent years I have been working with variations of pomegranate- again I hesitate to call them a series as such though the inspiration is all pomegranate with its mythical overtones, as well as its modern religious iconography and its medicinal properties, which seems to be so much the basis of the so-called "mythical" fruits..There are a few more waiting in the wings arising out of the postcards I made. I painted a piece of cloth the other day which will form the basis of the new work ( but I have to buy some more fabric to dye)

And since my visit to the Middle east I have been playing around with Crosses and by connection noughts as well. Variations of crosses, colourings, stitching- looking at ethnic clothing, the use of cross stitch in western society, and as mark making and identity . The page from my sketch book was variations I came up with whilst sitting and waiting for connecting flights in airports. The page made one waiter at Heathrow very interested- ( I had about 6 hours to kill there so had something to eat and a glass of wine) he kept coming back to see my progress and said he wished he could do such a thing. I said he could- he said he would try. I hope he did!

Creativity

There are many books on tapping your creativity including Danny Gregory's books of which I have "The Creative Licence" his most recent foray into inspiring aspiring artists and which is availble from his website. Danny also has a very inspirational blog called Every Day Matters which you will find on his website. Marion Barnett gave me my copy of the book, and it was good reading for the aeroplane.






















However I recently received Sandra Meech's new book Creative Quilts; Inspiration, Textures & Stitch published by Batsford and there is plenty of things to mull over and be inspired by. Sandra says of her book on her website ( which I have linked)"My new book is devoted to exploring creativity from the first ideas to the finished piece taking inspiration from contemporary art, architecture and world textiles and includes new techniques for texture using tyvek and wireform. Throughout the book there will be a closer look at design and composition, and with additional workshops and a whole chapter devoted to sketchbooks....there is something for everyone. "
I was delighted that Sandra had asked me if she could include "If Hundertwasser Had Lived in the Otways" for the book and I am really happy with the colour production of it in the book.Sandra's blurb says it all. It is a great resource for those embarking on the art path, but there is plenty of ideas, inspirations and wonderful photographs for those further along the path . There are some good ideas for working up your thinking of your work and adding layers of depth/meaning to your researches. The signed book is available form Sandra's website. I also have Sandra's first book ( Contemporary Quilts:Design,Surface and Stitch) and I have to say hers are amongst the few quilt books I actually have- my library leans to textiles and the history of textiles and art.

Places I have Been

Schwetzingen was the summer palace of one of the Hannover Electors in the eighteenth century. As a palace goes it was rather modest but the grounds are wonderful and designed to elevate the mind replete with structures of classical design and a "arabian" garden and minaret. The wooden structure at the bottom right was the study of the elector, inspired by African huts again to inspire the mind.Ultimately however I enjoyed the way that animals had made each of these 'edifying' stuctures their own- a fine juxtaposition i thought.
Annecy in the Haut Savoie in France is the home of Isabel Healy a member of the Alternative Quilt List run by Marion Barnett. Thelma Smith and I spent a delightful three days as Isabel's guest. The views around the lake were gorgeous and we were blessed with stunning weather. The town of Annecy itself is sometimes called the Venice of France and the old section of the town has canals.
Ribeauville lies in the Vosges foothills and is a treat for the eyes with its brightly coloured Saxon houses and colourful flowered window boxes. I particularly enjoyed the fountain square which had large baskets of vegetables and herbs rather than flowers as decoration- true to the gourmet traditions of the Alsace..Ribeauville itself was home to one of the first textile printing mills in Europe and there is a still functioning factory where fine fabrics using the old motifs are still produced.
Vezelay and Chassy. Vezelay is one of the basilica's on the Pilgrims' route- the basilica stands atop a hill to which one must ascend ( though not as punishing as Rocamadour). The basilica crypt is said to have relics of Mary Magdalene and also said to lie on a leyline. The more lacelike church is the gothic small basilica of St Pere a village two kilometers from Vezelay.

I enjoyed attending the Carrefour Europeen du Patchwork and will be teaching there next year. There were some wonderful exhibitions and I bought some of the small Afghan embroideries which Pascale Goldenberg is selling in order to raise funds for Afghan women .The idea is that you use the embroideries to make a larger piece which will be exhibted in the future- so that in essence the work is a collaboration.
Some new discoveries for me; Doerte Bachs curated exhibition called Time Patches- there were some wonderful pieces vailable and a catlogue in full colour with a page devoted to a detail shot and the opposite page with a full image is availabe through the website by contacting Doerte. Another was the work of Mariana Fruhauf ( sorry don't have the umlaut for the u in her surname)- I particularly liked the pieces that had holes cut out filled with rocks and other 'rocky'beads.

I hope to get back to some work today or tomorrow- I have a lot to do before my next trip which will be to the Middle East in February.

On the Road

I have six hours to kill at Singapore Airport- so I thought I would post, so no pictures I am sorry. We have had a terrible week , Collin's father and my children's grandfather died on Thursday rather more suddenly than we had thought or hoped. I was away teaching at Quilt Indulgence so my children were home alone, as Collin went to see his father the last time- a scenario I had desperately tried to avoid,but I couldn't get a flight out Thursday night and family lives about 4-5 hours from here we live.My children are desperately sad as he was a much loved poppy. The funeral is Thursday and unfortunately I have to keep travelling.

I am sure I snored on the plane to Singapore , as we have all been a bit sleep deprived.

I am on my way to Carrefour de European Patchwork in Val d'Argent and will be helping out at Changing the World One Thread at a Time curated by Thelma Smith ( Link in my link column- I can't hyperlink on this computer sorry) Marion Barnett and Sandy Marcoux will also be there. Thelma has produced a cd catalogue of the work in the exhibition. I shall also have my Seventy Two Ways Not to Stipple or Meander available- after some much appreciated help from Kristin le Flamme( see Kristin's blog also in my links column) in organising printing in Germany. Thank you Kristin!

Sulphur Crested Cockatoo

Friday I went to Melbourne to deliver promised fabrics to Patchworks Unlimited in Pascoe Vale, and to buy some machine embroidery threads and to visit with friends where I stayed the night. We were sorting out photos for a catalogue for an exhibition which is travelling to Syria in 2007 and le Palisseau ( near Paris) for March/April 2007. We got up early in the morning and went for a walk and then as we were sitting and chatting this sulphur crested cockatoo decided he needed to be part of the conversation- he came almost within touching distance..

I am still working on more pomegranate cards- have set myself a target of 100- whether I will get there is another matter as Tuesday I have to drive up to Quilt Indulgence, which is a 10 1/2 hour drive.I will be selling pomegranate cards after I come back from Europe- these ones I want to take with me. 

Pomegranate Variations

Pomegranates- an old favourite. I have been making more cards- theya re all 5"x7" as I like the slightly larger format- and at the moment I am not swapping them as I hope to sell them. I have to earn a living somehow and this is one of the ways, by making smaller pieces and hoping they have enough appeal to sell. It is part of the balance of running a small one person ,supporting the family business- you have to make things that are bread and butter as well as other pieces that are bigger.I had hoped to make more today but somehow I got into stitcvhing them so intensely they became quite time consuming- which was not the intention.

More Cards

Don't you hate it when you drive all the way into town ( 21 kilometres) and forget to buy the main thing you went into town for -though I did post loads of my Book Seventy Two Ways No to Stipple or Meander.I needed to buy the backing for lots more cards but forgot it and I probably won't go into town again until Thursday. I have also been waiting for fabric to dye to arrive for nearly four weeks now. I did ring up last week and they were sending it that day but it still hasn't arrived...sigh, I have a shop waiting and it is not long until I go overseas. I still want to do a lot more cards, but time is starting to run out.As you can see I have gone a bit pomegranate mad.

Small Works

I have been practising what I wrote about in my booklet Seventy Two Ways Not to Stipple or Meander ( which is for sale- just email me) on some small pieces I would like to take to France in a fortnight't's time. I had so many plans to make many things, but as per usual I have set myself way too many things to do and I have to toss things overboard in order to float the ship. I have to finish hand stitching a quilt before I go and I am thinking about doing a big forest piece.

I am still waiting for the fabric to arrive that I won last month- as I need to dye some fabric to take to Melbourne next week. I always seem to be dyeing fabric on the even of leaving- and then it has to be ironed.

The days are lengthening finally- I was well and truly ready for winter to be over, though it hasn't really been sunny. I have been rationing my reading on Matisse the Master- my goodness he was single minded in his pursuit of his art- he worked himself into nervous distraction- but disappointingly there is no mention of the influence of tifaifai on his later work. I can see a definite connection and it is interesting that he asked for a tifaifai to be sent to him in France after he had left Tahiti ( I have this information form another source)- he had been given one as a gift whilst in Tahiti- and with his love of textiles I think he would have noticed tifaifai straight away. Most textiles that passed through his hands made it onto his canvasses in one way or another so it would seem strange for tifaifai not to. Anyway I can definitely see influence in the linen pieces he did for David Ascher & Co- Matisse's shapes are free form- but the shapes themselves are so reminescent of traditional Polynesian motifs- his arrangements are looser like some of the tapas you see from the region ( and he had quite a lot of tapa as well)- anyway one day if I have time I want to do a bit more research on it.

 

Need Help in Germany

Well I must admit to being bowled over by the response to my booklet/CD- I have spent all day fiddling around sorting out CD covers and organising more printing. I have also been asked to submit a cd for a possible article- so the wonder of the internet continues. I must admit to being really pleased that people are prepared to pay- as many people expect free things from the internet- so much so that I am starting to wonder how the creators of good ideas will receive incentive to continue sharing good ideas-after all without invention and ideas things come to a screaming halt. This is not to say I don't like sharing, I do but I also think there is a limit , especially as everyday things in life have all sorts of fees and costs attached to them. Even subscribing to the internet comes with a fee. So thank you everyone who thinks it is worthwhile paying for the Seventy Two ways- I appreciate it! And don't foget you can order directly from me by emailing me

I do have a question though - especially for any German readers- I fly into Frankfurt late on 11 September and then will drive to Karlsruhe/Baden Baden( as I have to pick up some friends the foloowing day)- I will spend a day there and am wondering is there any sort of printing service in Baden Baden or closeby where I could get the booklet printed rather than carry it with me? Also can anyone suggest a reasonable hotel or bed and breakfast?

The photo is of a postcard I have made - I have made a few recently to take with me to Val d'Argent. I have a question- what do people do with fibre postcards when they have bought them?

It's Done!

It's done- Seventy Two Ways Not to Stipple or Meander ( Ideas for Free Machine Quilting). I had the booklet digitally printed today and it has come out fine- you can see the stitching and the thread count of the fabric I quilted- so the detail is good. I will sus out some more printing options in the future but haven't got the time right at the moment.

Anyway if you are interested in the CD it will be a pdf document( so you will need Acrobat Reader or other pdf reading program) of the booklet( it's morte of a book with 81 pages and it is spiral bound) email me. In Australia I can be paid by cheque or postal order- for overseas orders I can be paid with Paypal.

So the costings are as follows

For Australia:

CD is $20AUD inclusive of postage.

Book is $25AUD inclusive of postage.

For all other places( Worldwide)

CD is $25 AUD ( $15USD, 12 Euro, 8.50 pounds sterling) inclusive of postage

Book is $30 AUD ( $23 USD, 18 Eyro, 12 pounds sterling) including postage.

I hope this is all clear. I will be teaching at the Quilt Indulgence Festival in the Southern Highlands of NSW from 6-10 September. Drive home on Saturday night and Sunday morning and catch the flight to Europe on on Sunday night - so a bit frenetic as usual. I will be at the Changing Exhibition curated by Thelma Smith at Val d'Argent- in the exhibition venue at Liepvre

Painting Papers

I have been painting papers for using to transfer dye to lutradur as I want to make a lot of small pieces to take to Val d'Argent and hopefully sell some! I used shiny papers for these from an old Den Haan & Wagenmaker fabric catalogue- I really like how they turned out as the background images,photos play with the superimposed printed shapes I put over them with the transfer dye. I am almost wishing I could get this printed with one of those big fabric printers ( certainly can't afford to buy one). I will certainly make a couple of pages in my journal using the papers after I have used them!

Still Tweaking

Thank you for the input on the pricing of the booklet- I am still trying to workout if the pdf format will work as the file is large and I don't want to spend hours sending the document. it is large because it shows the individual stitches and even the thread count in the fabric quite clearly. I think I will increase the pices I suggested and will let you know what I come up with. I had hoped to take one booklet in and have it photocopied and bound to work out the costing this weekend but that did not happen. Tuesday is the day!

Meanwhile I wanted to share a photo of a quilt i made in early 1995 which I gave to my mother-in-law. I have always liked this quilt because I love camelias- it was inspired by Japanese designs of camelias. I had to include the butterfly because I clipped a hole in the quilt when I was trimming away threads.

Guinea Pig needed

Rainbow asked about my Hundertwasser quilt- I have posted before , inJanuary 2005- I tried to create a link I hope it works! The colours are not true on my monitor anyway- but having laid out catalogues in the past before anything with turquoise in it can raid problems- especially greens that are turquoise based.

I have been working all day on the 72 squares ( Title now "Seventy Two Squares Without Stippling or Meandering-Ideas for Free Machine Quilting") and have got it into pdf format- there are still a few things to do, i forgot the overall shot- but I need a guinea pig ( one only sorry) to see if they can get the document in the pdf format and whether it comes through ok.Ok guinea pig has been found- Nic Bridges, whom I met in a class at Mossvale not so long ago, but whose work I have know of through the magazines It's taken ages to crop all the scans and then to think of names....Once I know I can deliver it as a booklet or a pdf file I will work out a price- the pricing is really hard- any ideas would be appreciated. It has turned into 80 odd pages ( so almost most average quilt book size but I am aware that the format is slightly different) 72 pages contain 5inch square scans of each square with a description or ideas for use. I am presuming some foreknowledge of continuous line quilting. So any ffedback on price would be much appreciated.A figure of around the AUS $ 10-15 was going on in my head ( that's about $7.60 -11.00 US,6- 8 euros or 4.30- 6.50 GBP)- is that too much?. The booklet would be a bit more because I would have to print it, and would also include postage( I am thinking with a spiral binding as 80 pages is too much to staple)

And I have used a photo of a forest quilt only because it uses a couple of different methods of machine quilting.

I have arranged to visit the Bernina factory in Switzerland after Val d'Argent- I believe it is an interesting tour.

All the Sweet Perfumes

Serendipity or , does my subconscious really rule my life after all or is it just confluence? After calling this quilt All the Sweet Perfumes for a couple of days now ( after Lady Macbeth's outburst in the presence of the doctor) and then not being able to find the thread that i thought was perfect i remembered this morning that I had purchased some skeins of rayon in Damascus ( they use them for making tassels) that had winked and enticed me and couldn't be left there. It was still in the suitcase- where I had left things as most of my workstuff is packed away. So when i opened it- there it was - the perfect thread- the right colour and even more amazingly it had the sweet smell of perfume( i had bought some daphne essential oil which had leaked into my suitcase on the home ward journey). Now how did the thread know it was going into a quilt called All the Sweet Perfumes???

The lutradur has been transfer dyed with papers and the lighter spots are actually copper coloured foil which i have foiled on.I had this lutradur sent from Holland from Zijdelings in fact because it is lighter weight- therefore softer to the touch and als more transparent- as i wanted the background turquoise/ purple fabric to deepen the hue of the orange in the lutradur. I was looking to get the rich effect of byzantine tiling and colouring and a sense of depth and feeling. The thread is actually much richer in colour than suggested by the photo and there is a lot of it.

Sweet Perfumes

All the machine stitching has been done and now I want to hand stitch in the blank spaces. Of course the perfect rayon hand dyed thread I bought from Oliver Twists in England in 2001 is nowhere to be found- packed away somewhere in the shed in a safe spot no doubt. So it's come to a halt- whilst I rethink ( is the thread really perfect or is my memory making it perfect) and what else can I use?This piece is 30 inches wide and 60 " long.

I have started my walking again- since being back it came to a screaming halt- went for a few walks but not every day like I was doing.It feels good to be back to daily walking

A Spring Bouquet For You

I love getting flowers ( but I rarely get given them) and even when we go camping I will try and find some flowers and put them in a jar. I know that sometimes they are more lovely in the ground but somehow a bunch of flowers is like home. So here is a bunch of flowers out of my garden for you! I know up in the northern hemisphere it's still high summer but here thank goodness the signs of spring are appearing and the days are stretching. I am not a good cold weather person.

I saw on Margaret Cooters Blog that Sandra Meech's new book Creative Quilts is out. One of my quilts is in this book- If Hundertwasser Had Lived in the Otways in the section about inspiration from other art- so I am looking forward to seeing the book. I enjoyed Sandra's last book very much and the production on it was beautiful. Check out Margaret's photos of the Summer workshops she attended- wish I could have gone!

And Margaret from Wales thought I was working in different colours- this is partly true- the warm colours are still there though- and these colours are very much inspired by my Middle Eastern travels and in particular a textile shop in the suq in Damascus- I hope i can get back there next year when I go to Syria for the exhibition I am curating for a gallery there. I want to indulge in some more of these wondrous pieces with their vibrant colours. And check out some of Margaret's photos on her blog- she lives in a wonderful place and her photographs give you a real sense of place.

My 500th Post

I just noticed this is the 500th time I have posted- it does not seem so long. I also meant to notice my 60,000th visitor but that has also been and gone.

I have started putting in the stitching to what i am temporarily calling " all the sweet perfumes of Arabia..."- it is an allusion to the Lady Macbeth scene in the play of the same name by Shakespeare ( i did this play four years running- my last three years of high school and then in English literature at University, however this and the witches Double double toil and trouble-fire burn; and cauldron bubble, are about the only things that hang in my memory except ofcourse the plot ) . I am always amazed at how much stitching changes a thing. The unstitched spaces will probably be hand stitched. I like combining machine and hand stitching.

Debra asked what i meant by Alternative Visual Tradition- it was a phrase I picked up out of my previous post that was reviewing a book which discussed visual hapticity in relation to film- it said that visual hapticity was something more commonly associated with the alternative visual tradition- which included weaving and embroidery ( and other things) and by extension no doubt quilting. I thought it was a neat phrase as so many quilters/quilt artists and textile artists are desperate to be part of the mainstream art world or "the" visual tradition ( though it is splintered in so many directions that to say mainstream is not a very accurate description)- to be practising in an alternative tradition can be played up and used- as something desirable - we need a spin doctor LOL. Another aspect of this is I like textiles for what they are and the more I think about it, that is what is important about the way I make things- I don't necessarily want to make paintings or visual images- although I do work with images-i like what happens when I work with cloth/fabric and stitching and combining cloth for effect, and it is part of the reason I have returned to hand stitching- that was how I started - it feels right to use the things I have accrued and to use the things I started with together.